Introduction to Madness
by Erik's little bird
Summary: A sequel to my ficlets in which Alice's Otherworld friends and family are introduced to a particularly peculiar Hatter right in the middle of the Queen's throne room. I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOTLINE TO THIS PARTICULAR FIC.


**Introduction to Madness**

**A/N:** Due to popular demand, I have presented you with more fluffies. This time, in an almost-all-out story. Parts have been summarized that ought to be drawn out, but as I am pressed for time, they can't be. For any Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans reading this, there was a line in one of the episodes that I absolutely adore. You WILL see a reference to it, so consider my sources cited. Now, let them commence!

Alice Kingsleigh walked alongside the White Queen Mirana in the castle gardens. The queen absentmindedly inspected them. She was paying most of her attention to the story of Alice's almost-proposal, and how the Mad Hatter slipped the engagement ring on Alice's finger.

"Oh, that's simply _marvelous_!" Mirana hugged Alice as she spoke, and Alice thanked her, clearing her throat.

"There is one slight problem, though, that I was hoping you could help me clear up," said Alice, shaking slightly. _I hope I'm not asking too much of her._

"Of course I will do all in my power to help, if I can," said the queen, gently. She smiled a mother's proud smile at her champion.

"Well, I would like my family and friends from Otherworld to see for themselves that I'm alright, and of course Mother and Margaret should meet Tarrant—"

"And you would like for me to send you both to the Otherworld?" Mirana stopped walking, and Alice stopped next to her.

"No. If I do that, I would have to make up lies about what happened with me, and who Tarrant is. They would never believe the truth."

"You would like for me to transport them here, then?" Mirana's face looked slightly worried.

"If at all possible," said Alice, sheepishly.

"Absalom!" Hearing the queen's call, the bright blue butterfly fluttered to her shoulder.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" He asked.

"Is there a way to bring Alice's loved ones in the Otherworld here to Underland?

"Send Chessur with some Jabberwocky blood up the rabbit hole, and have him slip it into their teacups. It should put them right in the center of your throne room. Oh, and have Nivens accompany him, so he brings the right people," he said, and, bowing, went back to his mushroom and hookah.

"There you have it, Alice, dear," she said.

"Oh, _thank you_, Your Majesty!" Alice felt so giddy, she gave Mirana another hug. _Mirana_, meanwhile, told her it was no trouble.

"I believe Chessur is taunting your fiancée at the moment. Why don't you go give him his orders from me?" Shaking her head at Mirana's news, Alice rolled her eyes and ran off to find the Cheshire Cat.

"I do _so_ love that hat, Tarrant," Chessur purred in a sinister tone.

"I've told you before, Chess, you are NOT getting this hat." Tarrant's tone was bored, and if he had not just spotted Alice just outside the castle gate, he would have lost his control.

"Hello, sweet Alice," Chessur said in his slow, languid manner. Alice gave the cat a smile, then turned to give Tarrant a hug and a peck on the cheek. Tarrant didn't let her go.

"Hello, Chess," she said; "I have orders for you from the queen. She says you're to take Jabberwocky blood to the Otherworld and slip it into my family's teacups at tea-time. Oh, and give some to Lord Ascot as well. Nivens is supposed to help you find them all, so you might want to find him."

"If it were anyone else, I wouldn't bother," Chessur said, "but for you and the queen, I'll do my sneakiest." He immediately disappeared. Alice turned back to her Mad Hatter, who looked at her with questioning gold eyes.

"You, my beloved Mr. Hightopp, are going to meet your future in-laws soon," she said, stroking his face.

"Will they approve of us, Alice?"

"Not hardly," she said brightly, "but I'm not letting that get in the way."

"But they won't like me?" Tarrant's eyes were turning blue.

"They'll learn to love you. Of course, Lord Ascot isn't family, but he will like you the moment he sees you, I'm sure of it." Alice gave her Hatter a reassuring cuddle, and his eyes turned teal. _Perhaps Alice is right, and they will learn. But what if they don't? I'll still have my Alice, so shut up._

The next day dawned bright and sunny, finding Alice and Tarrant on either side of Mirana's throne. Mirana seated herself, smiling kindly at the bewildered faces of Alice's mother, her sister Margaret, her sister's poor excuse of a husband Lowell, her aunt Imogene, Lord and Lady Ascot, their daughters, and even Hamish. The women of the group looked ready to faint. Hamish surveyed the scene with terrified disgust. Lord Ascot, however, bowed gallantly to the queen with a grin and glittering eyes. Before he could say anything, Alice spoke up.

"I forbid any one of you to faint," she said sternly, looking them each of the ladies in the eye. Lady Ascot scoffed, but all obeyed Alice's command.

"What are we doing here, Miss Kingsleigh?" Hamish asked with a sniff; "This filthy vermin was telling us the most impossibly absurd things. I don't trust it."

"Hamish," Alice said, with an edge of danger in her voice, "you will apologize to Mr. McTwisp this instant, or I will hand you over," she gestured to the back of the room, where the Tweedles held a strange snow leopard-gorilla-bearish creature with wicked claws and teeth, "to the Bandersnatch." Hamish stared at the Bandersnatch for half a minute before turning to the White Rabbit, and stuttering through an apology. Nivens graciously accepted.

"Now, everyone," Alice said, looking for all the world like she had never threatened a creature in her life, "I would like you to meet Her Majesty, Queen Mirana of Crims. She arranged for you to come here safely, for my sake."

"Yes, Alice," her mother said, eyeing Tarrant when everyone had finished bowing or curtsying to the queen, "but exactly _what_ is going on?" Several of the group voiced their assent, but Lord Ascot just continued smiling at Alice knowingly.

"Well, Mother, you are all here so that I can tell you with all honesty," Alice paused to take a deep breath, gesturing to the Mad Hatter, and Tarrant cracked a grin just for her, "that this gentleman is Tarrant Hightopp, the Mad Hatter of Underland." Tarrant stepped forward and bowed before the assembly, brightly lisping, "Your future son-in-law, at your service, dear lady!"

Faith and Fiona Chattaway grinned wickedly at Hamish, meanwhile, everyone else started talking all at once.

"I won't have it! No daughter of mine will ever marry anyone known as the Mad Hatter!" As her mother screamed, her sister said, "You simply cannot be serious, Alice. You mean to give up the chance of being Lady Ascot for _him?_" Lowell's eyes bugged out, as he said, "She's absolutely off her head!" Hamish looked murderously embarrassed, and said, "I've been rejected by someone of a lower status than myself, for a fiendish-looking rake!" Lady Ascot held on to her husband to remain upright, and said, "Oh, now I _know_ I'm having a nightmare." Aunt Imogene merely smiled dreamily and said, "It's nice to know you don't have to worry about a prince, like I do, child." Alice stepped forward. Mirana ordered them all to be silent, which, surprisingly, they were.

"You are not asleep, Lady Ascot, let alone having a nightmare. Hamish, for the last time, I don't _care_ about your rank. And Tarrant is a perfectly outlandish gentleman. Yes, Lowell, I am off my head. Guess what? All the best people are. Margaret, I am perfectly serious. I love Tarrant, and Tarrant loves me. That is more important to me than anything else in this world or any other, including and especially the opinion of the public. Faith, Fiona, if you will stop grinning and look at the back of the room, you will see the two Tweedle boys I mentioned you remind me of. Aunt Imogene, I told you a hundred times that there never was a prince. Mother, _I am marrying my Mad Hatter_. He's right for me. You should get to know him." Alice turned to Lord Ascot, who stepped away from his wife and took Alice's arm.

"You're not going to leave me out this time, are you my dear?" he asked.

"No, Lord Ascot. I have just one thing to say to you. Thank you so much for all your moral support." Lord Ascot smiled, hugged Alice tenderly, and said, "If it were anyone else, I never would have believed it." Mirana arranged for Alice's friends and family to stay in the castle.

Over the next few days, most of them spent their time exploring Underland with the White Rabbit. Hamish and Lady Ascot, who still loathed rabbits, chose to stay indoors. They found that, if they went anywhere outside, Chessur would pester them relentlessly, and Absalom would lecture them on the proper way to treat the future husband of Underland's champion.

Margaret and Helen Kingsleigh stuck close to Alice and Tarrant. Margaret made an effort, for Alice's sake, to find comfortable ease in Tarrant's company. Tarrant did his best to stay grounded and behave himself properly, and soon the younger ladies were taken with him. Faith and Fiona even grew a little jealous of Alice.

Everyone sat together in the gardens in the evenings, listening to Alice help Tarrant tell of her adventures. The stories thoroughly shocked their audience, but not as much as Tarrant's behavior whenever the Red Queen came into play. On the last evening of tale-telling, when Tarrant was about to tell everyone how the Red Queen shouted at her knights to kill Tarrant for helping Alice in the fight against the Jabberwocky, he lost control in describing his foe.

"Bluddy Beghidd! Vileness! Bloody Red Queen—" Tarrant's Scottish Brogue was in full swing, and his eyes were blood red as he insulted the wicked queen in Outlandish. Alice caught a glimpse of sharp teeth as he spoke, and grabbed his face in both her hands.

"Tarrant. Tarrant! **HATTER!**" she screamed, after an insult that must have been worse than any she knew, because she had never heard it before. Tarrant came back to his senses.

"I am terribly sorry you had to witness that," he said in a forlorn manner; "I'm fine now, Alice, my Champion, I promise. Please forgive me," he begged both to her and his future family and their friends. Alice hushed him gently, putting one arm around him and one hand on his face. Helen looked terrified, but Alice cast her a fierce glance that clearly said: _I can take care of myself and Tarrant, so don't you dare start._

Tarrant finished his story quietly, after Alice got him through his description of Stayne. (For safety's sake.) Everyone thanked him calmly for explaining what happened, finally ready to start believing it for themselves. Margaret hardly listened to the ending, though. She'd been watching Alice and Tarrant together, and stealing glances at Lowell, uneasily. _I will not ruin my sister's happiness with my personal doubts. When I go home, I will have a word with Lowell in private. And as for what just happened, Alice appears to know what to do, but I'll make sure Mother speaks with her. _Alice's guests went to bed, leaving Alice alone with Tarrant, who led her to his hatting room.

"I've ruined my chance, haven't I, Alice?" He asked. His eyes were dark, dark blue.

"I don't know, Tarrant. But perhaps not." She kissed him, saying, "Half the company is delighted with you. The opinions of most of the other half don't matter."

"But your mother…?" He clung to her, trembling.

"We'll speak with her tomorrow, my love. I doubt she can be too worried for my safety. After all, I travelled all the way around the Otherworld without her." He nodded, but would not calm down.

"Shhhhh, Mad Hatter, shhhhhhhhh," she soothed while rocking him and kissing his face all over, "Wondrous Hatter. Darling Hatter. _My_ Hatter." He calmed down, and pulled Alice into a deep, reverent kiss.

The next day, after Helen Kingsleigh had a long argument with Alice about how she simply could not allow her daughter to marry anyone dangerous, she visited Tarrant in his hatting room.

"The… episode… last night," she began, "is why they call you mad?"

"Yes, dear lady, and you have my deepest sympathies for my loss of control," Tarrant said, earnestly. Helen looked somewhat mollified, and tried to hide a smile at being constantly referred to as 'dear lady'.

"They happen often, these episodes?" she asked.

"No, dear lady, not so often since the Frabjous Day. And less than that since Alice came back again." This eased Helen's mind only very slightly, but she clearly looked as though she wanted clarification.

"It's Champion Alice that saves me from the voices you heard last night. She told me once, long ago, my mind was like a kite. Forever flying off, though sometimes it really shouldn't." This caught Helen off guard. She'd entered the room prepared to work up a fury and frighten Tarrant off; _and now look at me_, she thought, _I can't even glare at him! How can I, when they make each other so happy?_

"I see," was all Helen could think to say. _I will never be used to the idea of 'Champion Alice'._

"That's the smallest part of why I need her," he insisted; "she keeps me grounded. She always has."

"Like a kite-string?"

"Exactly so, dear lady, exactly so. I'm free to go be a kite, because Alice is my kite-string."

"You truly love her, don't you?" Helen asked. It wasn't really a question, because she knew the answer. She saw the same look in Tarrant's eyes that her Charles used to give her every day. Tarrant nodded, eyes deep, dark green with passion and conviction.

"I would sooner go _the rest of my life_ _without_ _tea_ than hurt our Alice. And by now you _know_ what that means for me," he said, lisping and smiling shyly. Helen chuckled, her heart softened at the memory of her first full day in Underland, and how Thackeray Earwicket, the March Hare, threw a scone at her mouth, and laughed so heartily at her catching it with her mouth that she just could not be angry with him. (Though it did not stop her from trying.)

"And Alice has proven herself quite a strong, capable woman," she agreed. Hatter watched her anxiously, seeing a possible relent in her refusal to grant her blessing coming.

"Yes, indeed," he said, "Alice is completely Alice, now that she has her muchness again." He bore it in mind to be very careful around Helen not to call Alice 'he' and 'him'.

"Which we all have you to thank for, among other things," Helen nodded. Tarrant blushed, and there was a long silence. Helen shook herself with a groan, saying, "Wait here."

When she returned to the hatting room, it was with Alice on hand. Alice protested all the way back to the room that she would rather Helen left her alone. What could she possibly do more to control her daughter, now that Alice was not free to marry her hatter? Was she expecting to force Alice to bid Tarrant "Fairfarren," and go back to England, never to see her again? The questions and vehement Outlandish explanations went on and on, but Helen ignored them entirely, and they stopped when she opened the hatting room door.

Alice was met with the sight of Tarrant Hightopp, dashingly motley suit, bright orange hair, pale, bluish white face, wide, gap-toothed grin framed by perfect, dark, dark red lips, a top hat too grand for words, and a pair of gleaming, lamp-like, spring green and brilliant gold eyes. She was hypnotized by the pure, glorious joy Tarrant expressed just by standing there. Alice suddenly realized her mother had been speaking.

"Hmmm?" Watching Alice stare at the Mad Hatter, Helen laughed.

"I said: aren't you going to go greet your fiancée?" A deeply apologetic, utterly ecstatic, purely reverential look covered Alice's face, and she bear-hugged her mother, weeping. Helen pushed Alice away after a few minutes.

Taking the hint, Alice flung herself across the room. The noise of Tarrant's back hitting the far wall as Alice slammed into him attracted _everyone_. Neither Alice nor Tarrant cared that the company was staring at them with wide-eyed, disbelieving, wholly uncomfortable looks. They kissed each other, and kissed each other with wild abandon, holding on to one another for dear life and smiling into each other's mouths.

Tarrant's wilder, more child-like facet came into view. He let Alice go, and bounded over to Helen. Then he kissed both the old lady's cheeks, hugged her tight, and knelt before her, kissing her hands. He bowed to Mirana grandly, kissing her hand, ruffled Chessur's fur, tenderly hugged Mallymkun, (who loathed this new development,) gave the twins his absolute best Futterwacken, (which made them giggle,) spun Lady Ascot 'round the room, (which made her quite dizzy, and she pretended to hate it,) winked at Aunt Imogene heartily, gave Hamish a pat on the back, plopped a new hat on Lord Ascot's head, saying, "that's better fitting for such a fine, close friend of the family," and shook Lowell's hand, advising him never to run afoul of Kingsleigh ladies.

"For," he said, cheerily "if Lady Margaret does not punish you, and Alice does not manage to cut off your head and feed it to the Bandersnatch for breakfast, and even if Helen does not strangle you in your sleep or something equally awful," he paused, and his eyes went black, his grin turned sharp, and his voice slipped briefly into its Scottish brogue, "you shall have me to deal with." Alice caught that, and ran to grab his face, saying, "Hatter!"

"Kite-string," he said, looking at Helen with an almost sane smile, darting his eyes and jerking his head simultaneously in Alice's direction. Helen smiled back and gave a slow, understanding nod.

"Kite-string," she agreed, ushering everyone out of the room as Tarrant and Alice returned to their kissing.


End file.
